What's New in July!

Summer Gardening:

 As the weather gets warmer, you will have to turn your attention to watering to keep up the growth. A few rainy days in summer are not enough to replenish the soil's moisture. We recommend you give your plants a deep watering to keep them healthy and vigorous. Light watering results in shallow roots and a plant that is easily stressed. Hanging baskets can dry out very quickly in hot weather. Lift the baskets slightly to check its weight. This will indicate how much water it has. If it feels light - water it!

Landscape planting can be done during the summer months if a few steps are taken to reduce stress on the plants. A few tips are: plant on cool days or in the evenings, fill the hole with water before planting to create a reserve of moisture and water deeply once or twice a week. If you have in-ground irrigation, some deep watering may be required to establish new plants.

Gardening on the Edge:

For gardeners who push the envelope with our climate, we have a department of plants that we do not warranty beyond fall. They include hardy bananas, fruiting olives, eucalyptus, palm, datura, passion vine, bay laurel, rosemary and many others. With special care these can be successfully grown here.

Summer Flowering Plants:

The parade of flowering plants that began in spring moves on to new varieties of plants in summer. In late June, roses began their summer long display of colour and fragrance. They can repeat another bloom cycle by cutting back to a 5 part flower and fertilizing to encourage new growth. Equally impressive, but with fewer colours are hydrangeas. Other plants for color now are: heathers, hardy hibiscus, black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) and Montbretia to name a few.

Annuals:

Keep your annuals looking fresh with regular dead-heading of faded flowers and fertilizing to encourage new growth. Many plants should last well into October if there are no prolonged periods of rain. If your beds need brightening up, colourful chrysanthemums will be available by late September. For winter colour, pansies and flowering kale will also be available in September.

July 2010.